Home Bundesliga Wolfsburg return to the top of the Bundesliga

Wolfsburg return to the top of the Bundesliga

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Wolfsburg return to the top of the Bundesliga

It was as you were in the Bundesliga after last weekend’s round of games, Bayern Munich’s 0-2 win at Stuttgart answered by VFL Wolfsburg’s 3-0 win over Hoffenheim, the 8 point advantage Bayern hold over the Wolves still intact but the Bavarians will be left under no doubt that they are beginning to gain a serious challenger to their previously impregnable dominance of the German top-flight.

Events over the last week have shifted the landscape of the league, with Bayern suffering a crushing defeat in Wolfsburg a fortnight ago.  The 4-1 loss rubbed away some of the air of invincibility in Bavaria and raising once again questions that Pep Guardiola is unable to summon the same desire and hunger from his players once they return from the winter break boasting a comfortable cushion at the league’s summit. 

Midfielder Bastian Schweinstieger issued caution that something ominous was building on the banks of the river Aller in Lower Saxony, “they are not second for nothing” said the World Cup winner, “Wolfsburg are always capable of being up there”. And that is indeed where they are, hot on the heels of Bayern after losing just twice in the 19 games since the opening day 2-1 loss in the Allianz Arena. 

That devastating display of rapid counter-attacking saw Bayern double their season’s goals against tally for the season in a single match and gave hope that Wolfsburg can indeed catch Guardiola’s men. It is unlikely, though the last team to overturn a half-way 11 point gap was Wolfsburg, back when they won the title under Felix Magath in 2009.

The following five years have been a period of transition for the club, the title winning squad quickly broken up with the sales of Edin Dzeko, Grafite, Zvjezdan Misimovic, Andrea Barzagli and Ashkan Dejagah amongst others as Wolfsburg endured a period of brisk turnover of players as well as coaches. 

Millions were spent, and wasted, on the likes of Obafemi Martins, Karim Ziani and Simon Kjaer, while Brazilian midfielder Diego was signed from Juventus for £13 million, handed a reported €8.2 million salary and left for Atletico Madrid for around £1 million last January after a troubled 3 year spell in Germany. Despite spending a reported €67.5 million in the year after winning the championship Wolfsburg would finish 8th, starting a period of struggle in which they would go through 6 managers, including former England coach Steve McClaren and Magath for a second time, since Armin Veh replaced the title-winning coach in July 2009. 

Dieter Hecking arrived in December 2012 with the reputation of being a solid, long-term coach and he currently remains in place having overseen Wolfsburg’s rise back into European competition after a spell of upheaval. Magath would swell the squad up to nearly 40 players in his second tenure at the Volkswagen Arena but Hecking has trimmed that number down significantly, pushing 29 players through the exit door last season as Wolfsburg finished fifth and qualified for the Europa League. Only 2 players of the 2009 title winning squad remain with the club, goalkeeper Diego Benaglio and defender Marcel Schafer.  

Owners Volkswagen have ramped up investment, breaking the club’s transfer record three times in eighteen months with the signings of €20 million Luiz Gustavo, €25 million Kevin De Bruyne and on the deadline of January’s transfer window, Andre Schurrle in excess of €30 million. Criticism of the dealings have stemmed from a view from the rest of the league that such spend has been in foul of Financial Fair Play regulations, though Wolfsburg are adamant their funding from owning company Volkswagen- as one of only 3 clubs in Germany allowed exemption from the 50+1 rule ensuring majority rule by its members- are in line with the rules.

De Bruyne, who is top scorer with 8 and is leaving many wondering if the Wolves significantly underpaid Chelsea for the Belgian, has been sensational. A brace in the rout of Bayern was added with a vital late equaliser against Eintracht Frankfurt and another in the win over Hoffenheim, while striker Bas Dost has also played himself into form, scoring twice against Bayern before netting at the weekend. 

Having initially struggled to adapt to the Bundesliga following his £6 million arrival from Herenveen, Dost has suddenly burst into life after the January sale of Ivica Olic to Hamburg and the typically underwhelming form of Nicklas Bendtner, paved the way for the Dutchman to become Hecking’s main striker. His recent goals, including a stunning strike to beat Manuel Neuer in the thrashing of the league-leaders, will give hope that he can produce the same red-hot form that registered 38 goals in 39 games in his last season in Holland. 

With Schurrle now coming in to support Dost alongside De Bruyne, who leads the Bundesliga in terms of assists with 11, the big target-man will receive greater service as he seeks to add to his so-far meagre tally of 4 goals. Schurrle has certainly made an impact, orchestrating the victory over Hoffenheim with a debut goal and a pair of assists, including one for Dost, incidentally. 

Wolfsburg’s total of 41 goals scored is only 2nd best to Bayern but De Bruyne’s 8 is the individual highest. Olic’s 5, a number replicated by centre-half Naldo, was a big help but he has departed with World Cup winner Schurrle representing a significant upgrade

Portuguese winger Vieirinha, Daniel Caligiuiri and Ivan Perisic have also chipped in with goals and assists though Hecking knows somebody will have to assume the mantle of regular goal-scorer, similar to Edin Dzeko in 2009, should Wolfsburg aspire to become regular company for Bayern.

Gustavo and Atletico Madrid loanee Joshua Guilavogui have protected a robust defence that houses the powerful Naldo, who has excelled alongside 22 year old Robin Knoche, a recent graduate from the Wolfsburg youth academy. At left-back is Ricardo Rodriguez who somehow still remains out of the clutches of the continent’s elite clubs after continuing 2 years of excellent form since joining from FC Zurich in 2012. 

The Swiss, together with Sebestian Jung’s revelatory form at right-back since moving from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer for £2.2 million, is central to Hecking’s 4-2-3-1 which relies on dynamic wing-backs to charge forward and provide width. A powerful, well-shielded back-line together with the pace of De Bruyne, Schurrle and Perisic allows for the type of imperious counter-attacking that did for Bayern. 

Hecking and his men will now use the rest of the season to close in on Champions League qualification while there is also the matter of a Europa League last-32 tie against Sporting Lisbon on the horizon. While Bayern may be out of reach, it will be important for Wolfsburg to finish strongly in order to announce they have returned as one of German football’s powerhouses. With Volkswagen generously bankrolling Hecking’s shrewd coaching, Bayern and Guardiola may receive the genuine domestic challenger they desperately crave.

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